Apparatus of storing URL information transmitted via vertical blanking interval of television signal

• US 6,075,568 A
• Filed: 05/08/1997
• Issued: 06/13/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Matsuura, Katsuji
• Primary Examiner(s): Peng, John K
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lo, Linus H.
• Application Number:
  US08/855,699
• Time in Patent Office: 1,132 Days
• Field of Search: 348/61, 348/465, 348/468, 348/473, 348/478, 348/563, 348/564, 348/345, 348/327, 348/10, 348/553, 348/552, 455/6.2, 455/6.3
• US Class Current: 348/478
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8586 by using a URL processing chained hypermedia data for information retrieval G06F16/94; information retrieval from the Internet by using URLs G06F16/955; URL in broadcast information H04H20/93; Web-based protocols H04L67/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/445 for displaying additional information H04N5/50 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/088 the inserted signal being digital

Abstract

The network system has a configuration so that information supplier address data transmitted together with character broadcast data is extracted and stored in the Internet address memory. Furthermore, the Web site addresses once accessed by the user or selected on a character broadcast display can be registered in an address list as being stored in the address list area, and a desired Web site can be accessed by the Internet browser 9 according to an address selected from the address list.

Claims

1. A broadcast receiver for receiving broadcast signals in which a data signal is transmitted together with a video signal, comprising:

receiving means for receiving said broadcast signals;

a video decoder for decoding said video signal received by said receiving means;

separating means for separating said data signal from said broadcast signals received by said receiving means;

judging means for judging whether said data signal separated from said broadcast signals by said separating means is address information associated with a computer network or is character broadcast information;

storing means for storing a separated data signal when said separated data signal is judged to be said address information associated with said computer network;

list making means for making a list of said address information stored in said storing means;

a data decoder for decoding said character broadcast information present in said separated data signal;

a user operated control panel;

a selector for selecting as an output one of a decoded video signal from said video decoder, a decoded character broadcast information signal from said data decoder, or the list of said address information from said list making means in response to a selection command from said control panel; and

a display for displaying the output of said selector based on said selection command.

2. The broadcast receiver as defined in claim 1, wherein said data signal is transmitted using vertical blanking intervals of said video signal.

3. The broadcast receiver as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

selecting means for selecting a desired address from said list of said address information being displayed by said display; and

control means for controlling a time of connection of said broadcast receiver to said computer network according to said desired address selected by said selecting means.

4. The broadcast receiver as defined in claim 1, wherein said address information is an address of said computer network associated with a program associated with an image according to said video signal.

5. The broadcast receiver as defined in claim 1, further comprising character broadcast data signal storing means for storing said data signal of said character broadcast other than said storing means for storing said separated data signal as said information associated with said computer network, wherein said broadcast receiver further judges whether said separated data signal is said data signal of said character broadcast at said judging means and stores said separated data signal in said character broadcast data storing means when said separated data signal is judged to be said data signal of said character broadcast.

6. A broadcast receiver for receiving broadcast signals in which a data signal is transmitted together with a video signal, comprising:

receiving means for receiving said broadcast signals;

a video decoder for decoding said video signal received by said receiving means;

separating means for separating said data signal from said broadcast signals received by said receiving means;

judging means for judging whether said data signal separated from said broadcast signals by said separating means is address information associated with a computer network;

storing means for storing a separated data signal when said separated data signal is judged to be said address information associated with said computer network,

wherein said data signal comprises a data signal of a character broadcast in addition to said address information associated with said computer network, and said address information comprises an address of said computer network associated with a program of said character broadcast; and

character broadcast data signal storing means for storing said data signal of said character broadcast other than said storing means for storing said separated data signal as said information associated with said computer network, wherein said broadcast receiver further judges whether said separated data signal is said data signal of said character broadcast at said judging means and stores said separated data signal in said character broadcast data storing means when said separated data signal is judged to be said data signal of said character broadcast, and

wherein said character broadcast data signal storing means stores associated character broadcast program names in addition to said address information;

a data decoder for decoding said data signal of said character broadcast;

a user operated control panel;

a selector switch for selecting as an output one of a decoded video signal from said video decoder, a decoded character broadcast data signal from said data decoder, or said address information associated with said computer network from said storing means in response to a selector command from said control panel; and

a display for displaying the output from said selector switch based on said selection command.

7. A method of accessing a computer network comprising the steps of:

receiving broadcast signals in which a data signal is transmitted together with a video signal;

video decoding the video signal received in said step of receiving;

separating said data signal from received broadcast signals;

judging whether a separated data signal is address information associated with said computer network or is character broadcast information;

storing said separated data signal when said separated data signal is judged to be said address information associated with said computer network;

making a list of said address information stored in said step of storing;

data decoding the character broadcast information obtained in said step of separating;

selecting as an output one of a decoded video signal from said step of video decoding, a decoded character broadcast information from said step of data decoding, or said of list of said address information in response to a selection command of user;

displaying the output from said step of output selecting;

selecting a desired address from the list of said address information displayed in said step of displaying; and

accessing said computer network according to address information selected in said step of selecting.